Dippler sped off, calling back, “Leave it t’me, marm. I’ll go!”

A few minutes later, seated comfortably on an old sofa, Ellayo faced Nutwing, who was perched on an armchair opposite her. Butty sat at the desk with quill, ink and parchment. Song and Dann settled themselves on the arms of the sofa. Friar Butty began.

“Now, marm, I want you to speak slowly and clearly. Address my friend Nutwing as if you were telling him a story. I’ll sit over here and record all you say. You may begin if you’re ready, marm.”

Ellayo stroked the smooth top of her blackthorn stick. “Hmm, Marlfoxes, now let me see. When I was a maid, young as Song here, my father told me of a secret island at the center of a great lake somewhere. Foxes had discovered the island and claimed it for their own—of course, that was after the lake monster was slain and the white ghost left the island . . .”

Friar Butty cut in on the narrative. “Excuse me, marm, what lake monster and what white ghost?”

Grandma Ellayo sniffed at him irritably. “How should I know? I’m just telling you what was told to me. Can you remember everything from your early seasons?”

Butty held up his paw respectfully. “My apologies, marm. Please continue.”

“Where was I? Oh yes! Father said that a tribe of foxes, with water rats to serve them, took over the island and built a big castle there. Then the story went that there was a war. Y’see, most of the tribe were ordinary vermin, save for two, a male an’ a vixen, who were Marlfoxes. It was them who were magic. They could make theirselves invisible, ’twas said. Anyhow, the Marlfoxes got the water rats on their side an’ wiped out the other foxes, slew ’em all. Then nothin’ more was heard of, or from, that island. Now when I was a bit older, I had a mate, Gawjo, an’ a liddle ’un too. That was Song’s daddy Janglur. Gawjo was a real adventurer an’ a great wanderer, an’ one day he went off in search of the Marlfoxes’ island an’ that was the last anybeast ever seen of him. I was left t’bring Janglur up. We became wanderers, always hopin’ we’d find Gawjo again someday, but we never did.”

Song took in every word. She felt sorry for Grandma Ellayo, bringing up Janglur alone, always searching for her lost husband; it must have been a hard life. She put a paw around her grandma’s shoulder as the old squirrel continued.